Water quality improves on Quemahoning

April 09, 2013|By LEN LICHVAR | Daily American Outdoors Correspondent

Photo by Aimee Steele

The Somerset Conservation District is taking the leadership role in restoring the original stream channel of the last 1.3 miles of Quemahoning Creek below the Quemahoning Reservoir located along Quemahoning Dam Road in Conemaugh Township.

At some point, decades ago, prior to today's better understanding of natural stream flows and regulations, this section was dredged in order to provide the flow of water coming from the spillway out of the dam a more unencumbered path downstream. The consequences of this action served to remove virtually all of the natural structures and holding water for fish and other aquatic life.

When the Manufacturers Water Company properties, which included the Quemahoning Reservoir, were publically purchased in 2000 through the foresighted vision of organizations such as the conservation district, it mandated a re-permitting of the reservoir and the creation of a conservation release to restore the historic flow of water to Quemahoning Creek that had been virtually eliminated by the construction of the reservoir 100 years earlier. It took years to be implemented, but for nearly three years now a daily 10.8 MGD conservation release of cold water comes out of the dam into Quemahoning Creek and then the Stonycreek River.

With this restored flow the missing ingredient to sustain a cold water fishery was the lack of habitat. The conservation district, in cooperation with California University, electro-shocked the Quemahoning Creek two years ago and found no cold water species such as trout. A second survey by the Pa Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and the conservation district last year confirmed the outcome.

Temperature loggers, placed into the stream by the conservation district, also confirmed that the temperature regimes, thanks to the conservation release, were in the comfort range for trout year round.

With this data in hand the conservation district devised a preliminary habitat restoration design and requested funding support for the project from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

In late 2012 the foundation announced it awarded $58,000 of GenOn settlement funds to the project that will directly benefit and enhance natural resources in the Conemaugh River watershed that this special funding is dedicated toward. Over a decade ago the foundation also provided funding to complete the Quemahoning Creek Watershed Restoration Plan from which this and other projects have been derived.

The conservation district also secured additional project funds from the Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP), Mountain Laurel Chapter of Trout Unlimited (MLTU), Somerset County Sportsmen's League and the Boswell American Legion to bring the total investment so far to $65,000.

According to District Watershed Specialist Greg Shustrick, "The project will involve the strategic placement of rocks, root wads and log vanes that will provide cover and habitat for trout and other species as well and provide woody debris for insect life to thrive. The beauty of this project is that we are simply putting back what is supposed to be there anyway."

The permitting process is currently underway and the Cambria-Somerset Authority has approved the project. If all goes well the project should begin by late summer. The PFBC plans to stock the restored section with fingerling trout in order to initiate a put and grow tail water trout fishery.

According to Randy Buchanan, president of MLTU, "Tail water trout fisheries are considered among the best cold water angling destination points. It remains to be seen just how well this restoration works, but the opportunity to create a new economically and recreationally important destination point that provides year round fishing for local anglers is very real."

If successful this water will be the state's newest tail water trout fishery and help complete an entire watershed restoration effort that began over 20 years ago. The completion of the Jenners and Boswell AMD abatement Passive Treatment Systems restored the water quality of the upper watershed and the Quemahoning Reservoir. The public acquisition of the reservoir opened up a huge amount of formerly private land and water to the public and with the upcoming restoration of the lower watershed additional recreational and economic opportunity will be added to the mix.

These past and current projects can all trace their roots to the efforts of public sector agencies such as the District, PA Department of Environmental Protection, federal Office of Surface Mining and the Natural Resources Conservation Service partnering with groups such as SCRIP, MLTU, Southern Alleghenies RC&D and Conservancy, Somerset County Conservancy and local watershed and sportsmen's groups.

As Buchanan pointed out, "These efforts that improve our economic sustainability as well as our quality to life do not happen by accident and should not be taken for granted as they often are. It clearly proves that government agencies and public tax dollars along with private contributions coupled with locally led initiatives provide us all a tremendous return on that investment of time and dollars."